identity

“You are not what has happened to you. Only Love has the final word in who you are.” ~James Finley

Never let yourself buy into the illusion that are you just a collection of the things that have happened to you. Those things may shape us, but they are never who we are. Only Love—the Love that loves us totally, completely, unconditionally, and without end—knows who we truly are (and loves us anyway).

One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in and where you want to go. ~Sheila Murray Bethel

It’s so easy to float through life without answering these questions or taking a stand for them. Do you clearly know who you are, what you believe in, and where you want to go? What steps are you taking to live those realities out loud?

“As long as you make an identity for yourself out of pain, you cannot be free of it.” ~Eckhart Tolle

When we are grieving deeply, our pain can be so overwhelming that it seems to have taken over our entire life and identity. It’s important to remember that no matter how intense our relationship is with our pain, it is still not who we are. When we remind ourselves that it’s just something we are in relationship with (even an overwhelming intense one at times), it helps us keep our identity separate from it so that we do not find ourselves stuck with it for good.

“When we see everyone is a part of us, that any criticism we make is self-criticism, we will extend to ourselves an unconditional love that will light the world.” ~Harry Palmer

The more we are in touch with the unity of all of us, the harder it is to create an “us” and “them.” We are all us. From that viewpoint, it’s harder and harder not to extend unconditional love to ourselves and to all of us.